Young guns have played their part in Swindon Wildcats' success, says forward Phil Hill

SWINDON Wildcat Phil Hill believes the club’s young guns have come to the fore during their hectic schedule.

The Link Centre side, who booked their place in the NIHL Cup final on Tuesday night have iced 20 times since the turn of the year.

With injuries to Jordan Kelsall and Jan Kostal meaning Aaron Nell has been a little bit light on numbers during pinch points this season.

However, with a number of youngsters in the roster such as Joe Hazeldine, Ollie Stone and academy product Mickey Power, Hill says the club’s younger contingent have come a long way since the start of the season.

“Telford was one of the best games we have played all year, it was a high-pressure game and to see the young guys stand up was great,” he said.

“We didn’t really put a foot wrong out there. We killed the game, scored timely goals and if you’re a Swindon fan you have to be pretty excited.

“We have a good mix of younger guys and older guys. We have young ones who want to learn and old guys who have won and know what it takes.

“That is the second time we have gone into a semi-final and we knew we needed to get a result and twice we have been able to do it.

“Those kinds of experiences are worth their weight in gold and going forward now, the younger guys know what it takes to win.”

After their cup exploits, the Wildcats return to domestic action this weekend, where they will take on Basingstoke Bison away from home on Saturday, before hosting London Raiders a day later at the Link Centre.

Former Telford man Hill believes the Cats need to remain consistent for the rest of the season if it is going to be a successful one.

“We need to just keep at the level we have shown, obviously, we have had a tonne of games recently and guys are a little tired,” he added.

“I think we are going to have a stretch where teams are trying to skate at our level, which I think is a good thing.

“For me personally, you are always trying to improve and I try to be as consistent as possible. I’m not a flashy player at all but I try to be reliable.

“I think for the most part, I’ve been able to do that. The biggest games are yet to come so we are just looking forward to it.”

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